LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James is sitting out of the Los Angeles Lakers’ first game since he grew to become the NBA’s profession scoring chief.
The Lakers introduced Thursday afternoon that James wouldn’t play in opposition to the Milwaukee Bucks. James is nursing a sore left ankle that has periodically compelled him to overlook video games this season, together with six since November.
James will take part in a pregame ceremony honoring his achievement on the Lakers’ downtown area, nonetheless.
James handed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record of 38,387 factors late within the third quarter of his 38-point efficiency in opposition to Oklahoma City on Tuesday night time. Abdul-Jabbar shared a heat hug and a symbolic second with James on the court docket Tuesday, and he’ll take part in Thursday’s ceremony as effectively.
The 38-year-old James has missed 12 complete video games in his twentieth NBA season. The followers who spent untold hundreds to safe tickets for what they hoped could be the record-breaking game Thursday night time now received’t get to see James in uniform in any respect.
James’ absence and the Lakers’ flurry of trades over the previous two days have left them with solely eight or 9 gamers in uniform after they face the powerhouse Bucks, who’re on an eight-game profitable streak.
Los Angeles traded away Russell Westbrook, Patrick Beverley, Thomas Bryant, Juan Toscano-Anderson and Damian Jones whereas buying D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley, Mo Bamba and Davon Reed.
The strikes are an try and salvage one other disappointing 12 months for James and the Lakers, who’ve foundered in the back of the Western Conference pack all season lengthy with Anthony Davis struggling by his annual damage issues. The Thirteenth-place Lakers fell to 25-30 with their 133-130 loss to the Thunder on James’ historic night time.
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